EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MALBEC WINE – AND WHERE TO DRINK IT
BY BECCA HENSLEY - Destinations of the World news

Red, red wine: Fed by high-altitude sunshine and snowmelt from the Andes, it may have originated in France but Malbec is a “true grape of Argentina”, finds Becca Hensley

Dusty and parched, I pedal my bike through olive groves, among apricot and plum orchards, beside hilly vineyards, near fields of flowers – all in the shadows of the snow-encrusted Andes. With the sun casting a silvery light on this high-altitude desert, my partner and I find a place in the shade for a picnic. There are no cars on the road, only a man in the distance riding a horse. He’s dressed like a gaucho in baggy pants, tall boots and a beret. Even from this vantage point, I can see he sports a handlebar moustache. He seems like a mirage – until he waves, and gallops away.

In Mendoza to explore the land of Malbec, on a trek to taste our way through the vineyards of Maipu, Lujan de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, we stop now to nibble country pâté, pungent goat cheese and crusty bread. Of course, we uncork a bottle, Carmelo Patti 2013, a Malbec we purchased while touring yesterday, from the winemaker himself. It’s bright-bodied and robust, and with bitter blackberry, dried raspberry and cherry explosions, a little minty at the end, it’s perfect for al-fresco cuisine, somehow ideal with biking gear, and “peasant” food spread out on a blanket. Rustic, yet elegant, Malbec expresses the landscape and the region that surrounds us. Transfixed by the colour, I raise the glass to meet the light. With hues like a mysterious, inky, amethyst, it makes me think of Murano glass – regal and dignified, full of promise.

“I never met a Malbec I didn’t like,” says Michael C. Higgins, PHD, author of Exploring Wine Regions – Argentina, a wine-tasting compendium. “What makes it so delicious?” he asks (and answers). “It’s big and bold like a Cabernet Sauvignon, yet fruity like a Pinot Noir.” Argentinean chef Fernando Navas of New York’s Balvanera restaurant revels in Malbec from his homeland, offering a huge selection to his guests. “It’s so hard to choose a favourite – each has a different character,” he says, before admitting to tippling Malbec from Marchiori & Barraud, a small-production winery sited in Lujan de Cuyo, as his go-to wine. “For wines born in Mendoza, there’s nothing better than a cut of grilled, grass-fed ribeye, Morcilla or Argentine sausages,” he says, when asked about pairing. Grown for centuries in France as a blending grape, Malbec cuttings first came to Argentinean vineyards in the mid-19th-century, under the guidance of French agronomist Michel Pouget. He believed the thin-skinned grape, which rotted easily in France, would flourish in sunnier, drier, higher elevation climes. Indeed, in Mendoza, they thrived, leading farmers to call them “the true grape of Argentina.”

“This is a land of bold qualities,” says Lucia Vaieretti winemaker for Alamos, much touted for their Malbec. “We have sunshine and desert and our water comes from the snowmelt of our beautiful mountains.” Rarely exported for a hundred years, the Malbec wines made were quaffable, affordable, and beloved by locals as a reliable food wine. They embodied the many cultures – Spanish, Italian, indigenous – that composed the nation. Still undiscovered by sommeliers, for the most part, until the early 21st Century, Malbec was popularised by word-of-mouth appeal, coming to the forefront as a crowd pleaser for any occasion. Now grown across Argentina (and in other parts of the world), Malbec reigns in the Mendoza region, where some 1,500 wineries dot the terrain. Some tips for visiting wineries? While the terrain begs to be biked or hiked, consider hiring a driver and taking the three regions slowly. Choose only three or four wineries a day – perhaps reserve one for a sumptuous, heady, afternoon long lunch. Do remember to make reservations in advance and bring cash for purchases, as many wineries do not accept credit cards.

4 PLACES TO QUAFF MENDOZA IN ARGENTINA:

1. VINEYARD DREAMS – ENTRE CIELOS

If you’ve romanticised a life lived in a vineyard, Entre Cielos offers the opportunity. An intimate, 16-room, Small Luxury Hotels of the World gem, girded by 20-acres of vines (eight of them Malbec), the stylish, artsy hotel was founded by three Swiss friends intent on providing a vacation experience that proved wine’s direct connection to nature. Book the Vineyard Loft, which hovers amid the grapes, offering an outdoor bath on its terrace. A gastronome’s dream, the hotel produces its own three wine labels, and has a packed wine library, abundant with Malbec. Join them for the harvest, when you can pick grapes like a real winemaker. Plan to indulge, too, in the spa’s wine bath for couples.

South of the bustling city of Mendoza in the more remote Uco Valley, The Vines Resort & Spa beckons. Designed by lauded Argentinian architects Bormida & Yanzon to meld into the landscape, the getaway’s wood-and-stone, individual villas tuck into the expansive vineyards. With mountain vistas paramount, the Leading Hotels of the World stay provides tours of its winery and gives guests the opportunity to blend their own wine. Dinner is gaucho-style at Siete Fuegos, the resort’s restaurant, created by Argentina’s most famous chef – Francis Mallmann. After wine tasting, ride horses on the quiet roads and partake of a Vinotherapy treatment in the spa.

A slower pace unveils the tiny details of an eye-catching landscape. On two-wheels, you can expect to immerse in Mendoza as you never imagined possible. Pedal through the expanse with DuVine Cycling + Adventure, an outfitter with an epicurean aesthete. A moderate program, full of wine tastings at some of the region’s best (including a grand event at famed Salentein winery) and plate after plate of Argentine fare, this trip for active travellers ensures you work it off as you go.

It’s not in Mendoza, but sometimes you can’t get out of the city. An Argentine sommelier has created a niche, Pain et Vin, for imbibing in Buenos Aires’ chi-chi Palermo neighbourhood. The bar’s motto, “There’s Always Time for a Glass of Wine”, sets the mood for oenophiles to relax and slowly work through a hefty cupboard of local wines. Home-baked breads and regional cheeses pair well with Malbec’s gravitas – and the people watching can’t be beat. Check the calendar for festive tasting events throughout the year – and if you don’t feel like hanging out, take away here is also an option.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

For the first time, an Argentine president will meet with the Israeli survivors and relatives of victims of the 1992 terrorist attack against the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires.

President Mauricio Macri will host a group of 30 Israelis on Friday morning at his official residence prior to a ceremony marking 25 years since the bombing, which killed 29 and injured more than 200.

Previous presidents have met in the past with the families of Argentine victims.

Among those who will meet with Macri and participate in the remembrance ceremony are Israel’s current ambassador to India and Sri Lanka, Daniel Carmon, who lost his wife, Eliora, in the attack; the Israeli ambassador to Argentina at the time of the bombing, Yitzhak Shefi, and the director general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Yuval Rotem.

Carmon is part of a campaign to stop terrorism featuring Argentine celebrities and the motto “peace without terror.”

A ceremony was held earlier this month in Jerusalem to mark the 25th anniversary of the attack according to the Hebrew calendar.

“We knew straight away that Iran was behind this heinous attack,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the March 6 event. “Iran set it in motion, Iran planned it and Iran, through its proxy Hezbollah, also carried it out.”

Netanyahu added that since the embassy bombing Iran, through its proxy Hezbollah, has established a global network of terror in more than 30 countries on five continents.

“It is the biggest instigator of terror in the world,” he said.

Netanyahu also noted his confidence in the Argentine president.

“Having spoken with President Macri, I am impressed that he understands the problem well, and I intend to meet with him in the near future to strengthen the relations between our two countries in many areas, including these vital areas of enhancing defense and fighting terror,” he said.

Argentina has accused Iran of the 1992 attack and also of the deadly 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires, but both officially remain unresolved.

Friday, March 10, 2017

B’nai Jeshurun in Manhattan was the site of a rally that drew thousands before the New York City women’s march in January. The synagogue has also set up an action alert list with 200 subscribers to mobilize congregants for protests.

For some of these synagogues, the current activism is just an intensification of a historical tilt toward political engagement. Bnai Jeshurun has a longstanding program to aid New York State farmworkers, while Temple Sinai in Washington, D.C., led two trips to aid undocumented immigrants in Texas in 2014 and 2016, before Trump’s election. Synagogues nationwide have long been active on Israel policy, and in the 1970s and 1980s, on behalf of Soviet Jewry.

But some congregants see synagogue-based political action as a step too far. David Horowich, a Reform Jewish businessman from Syracuse who voted for Trump, appreciates Reform Judaism’s cultural and communal aspects. But he feels synagogues shouldn’t be in the business of political advocacy, because it’s not always easy to judge whether policies are successful.

“I haven’t been in favor of coming out with statements that are political, because sometimes they can come back and haunt you,” Horowich said. “I’m open to people expressing their opinions, but you have to wait until it all plays out.”

For those who oppose him, Trump’s policies on refugees and immigration have become a particular focus of synagogue activism. All four religious denominations and several major organizations opposed the first iteration of his immigration ban in January.

In response to Trump’s immigration policies, several synagogues have declared themselves sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants. For some synagogues, including Temple Sinai, that means setting aside rooms should undocumented immigrants need a place to live. Others, like Philadelphia’s Congregation Beth Zion-Beth Israel, which is exploring becoming a sanctuary, are holding classes for immigrants and others on immigrant and refugee rights.

“Our religious tradition teaches about not only welcoming the stranger but not oppressing the stranger, and making sure the most vulnerable in our midst has been protected and cared for,” said Temple Sinai Rabbi Jonathan Roos. “The level of fear is at a level unseen during the Obama years, even when the level of deportations was high.”

The push for synagogue activism appears to be spreading. Timoner has held two conference calls with rabbis interested in Beth Elohim’s model. And T’ruah, the rabbinic human rights group, drew 200 rabbis to a conference in February, called No Time for Neutrality, that ended with 19 rabbis getting arrested during a protest in front of a Trump hotel in New York City.

“We have more power, privilege and social capital than we’ve ever had in this country,” said Beth Zion-Beth Israel Rabbi Yosef Goldman.”It’s an opportunity for us to be vigilant about using our power to defend our own community, but [also] to defend those around us who are more vulnerable than we are.”